Documents Reveal Jeffrey Epstein's 2017 Effort to Court Bill Gates

Newly released documents published by Congress on Nov. 13 shed fresh light on Jeffrey Epstein's efforts in 2017 to cultivate a relationship with Bill Gates. The material includes text-message exchanges between Epstein and an apparent adviser to Gates that reference the Microsoft co-founder and other guests at a Washington banquet.

The messages show Epstein pitching a donor-advised fund — a tax-advantaged charitable vehicle he hoped to operate — and trying to persuade Gates to back the idea. According to the adviser's texts, Gates was receptive to the concept but was discouraged by his then-wife, Melinda French Gates. The adviser relayed that Gates "wants to talk to you but his wife won't let him," and later sent short messages relaying that Gates "loves you," "says hi," and "feels bad about the [donor advised fund] btw He thought great idea but wife wouldn't allow."

Later the same day, Epstein suggested that former White House counsel Kathryn Ruemmler "would love to sit with Melinda and give her the other side of Jeffrey." Ruemmler, now chief legal officer at Goldman Sachs, has described her interactions with Epstein as professional and is not accused of criminal wrongdoing.

Bill Gates has previously tried to minimize his relationship with Epstein. In 2019 he said he did not have a business relationship or friendship with him; by 2021 Gates described spending time with Epstein as a "huge mistake." Documents released by Congress, including an appointment calendar from Epstein, list multiple meetings between Epstein and Gates that Gates has said were related to fundraising and connections for global health philanthropy.

Epstein was known as a prolific networker who cultivated relationships with world leaders, business figures and celebrities, often positioning himself as a connector who could introduce powerful people to one another. That networking persisted even after his 2008 guilty plea to lesser state charges in Florida and his subsequent registration as a sex offender, allowing him to remain active in elite social circles.

As additional caches of Epstein's personal communications, flight logs and calendars have emerged, several associates have faced public scrutiny and professional consequences. In one recent example, newly disclosed communications prompted former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers to resign from the OpenAI board and step away from other roles.

Congress recently approved legislation that would require the Justice Department to release nearly all of its investigative files on Epstein; the bill gives the Justice Department 30 days to comply once signed by the President. These records continue to add to the public understanding of how Epstein built and maintained access to elite networks and how those ties surfaced after his 2019 death.